Alex Loves

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Her

Alexloves — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:20:53 +0000

1: Gold Initial Necklace, from £80, from EC One

2: Marguerite Riding Bra and Knickers by Stella McCartney, £50 and £30 respectively, from Matches

3: Lulu Guinness Perspex Lips Clutch, £220, from Go-British.co.uk

4: Stella McCartney L.I.L.Y. Eau de Parfum, £44, exclusively available from Selfridges

5: Hawk Hand-Knitted Necklace in Pale Pink, £35, from A. Alicia

6: Marc by Marc Jacobs Pink Bob’s Memphis Two Tone Purse, £175, from Liberty

7: Heart Keyring in Smooth Tan, £29, from Aspinal of London

8: Glossybox Gift Subscription, from £30, from Glossybox.co.uk (awesome and original gift in my opinion!)

9: “Love” Handbag Charm & Keyring, £19, from Aspinal of London

10: You + Me = Love Card, £3, from Notonthehighstreet.com

11: Taba Pink Leather Bracelet by Moxham, £63, from Kabiri

12: Kevia Lava 22-karat gold-plated brass ring, £67.50 (was £150), from The Outnet

Desigual inspired by Cirque du Soleil: Win £200!

Alexloves — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:55:07 +0000

***this is a sponsored post***

Spanish clothing label Desigual has teamed up with the incredible Cirque du Soleil for a new collection inspired by the performing troupe. For Desigual, known for its use of flamboyant prints, colours and materials, this couldn’t be a better match, because, lets face it, both are a bit bonkers.

To celebrate the collection, Desigual has gathered bloggers from all over Europe to help them choose worthy winners of a competition. All you need to do is go to the Desigual x Cirque du Soleil page, pick your favourite item of the collection (or as many as you want), write a small blogpost explaining why, and then we will choose our favourite posts. My favourite post will be featured on my blog, and you could win £200 to spend at Desigual. And just for entering you get a 20% discount on the collection too… not too bad, right?

Below are some of my favourite pieces of the collection, which is divided in 3 parts: Troupe, Human Expressions and Costumes. You have until Feb. 10 to enter here! Good luck!

By pure coincidence I went to see Cirque du Soleil’s Totem at the Royal Albert Hall last week and took some cheeky snaps. It’s the second time I’ve seen this particular show, and I was still left gobsmacked. If you ever have the opportunity to catch a Cirque show, please do, it’s worth every penny. As you can tell, they love colour and prints every bit as much as Desigual (if not more!), so this is a match made in heaven!

Pentax K-01 by Marc Newson

Alexloves — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:41:41 +0000

As you probably know by now, I’m always partial to a good collaboration. I love it when 2 minds get together and bring their respective qualities together to create a great product. Well, I just got back from the launch of the new Pentax K-01 camera, designed by Marc Newson, and this collaboration is just that: Marc Newson, one of the world’s most influential product designers, put his own stamp on the latest digital camera with interchangeable lenses by Pentax.

At the presentation this morning, Newson mentioned he was essentially a purist at heart, and his design for the K-10 definitely reflects that: it’s timeless, minimalist and has clean, simple lines. There’s a bit of a retro vibe going on as well, especially with the yellow one version which I love, although perhaps more as a novelty than a long-term investment. I’m not a tech blogger, so I’ll spare you the technical details (although it does a hell of a lot of cool stuff, and also boasts the world’s thinnest interchangeable lens), but needless to say, it’s a pretty cool piece of equipment.

Cameras are probably one of the few things I own where I care more about its functions than looks, but if they’re starting to make them look this good… well, why not?

Pentax K-01 by Marc Newson lands in stores late March 2012.

Wednesday Wishlist: The Sportswear Edition

Alexloves — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:35:58 +0000

Ok, so January might be over, but I’m trying to hang on to my New Year’s resolutions and working out more. I find that nothing motivates me more than getting a new piece of workout gear, whether it’s new shoes or a top – if it gets me on the treadmill, it’s worth the investment! Here’s some things I’ve been looking at lately… Sportswear doesn’t need to be boring, does it?

1: adidas by Stella McCartney Racer-back printed jersey tank, £40, from Net-a-Porter

2: adidas by Stella McCartney Cycle Performance Jacket, £180, from Sweaty Betty

3: House of Holland Swimsuit with bones print, £75, from ASOS

4: Pro Victory Compression Sports Bra, £22, from Nike

5: Zero Gravity Running Tight, £75, from Sweaty Betty

6: Nike+ Running Sportband, £45, from Nike. I never go running without mine! Data!

7: Fit Pro Sparring Gloves, £34, from Sweaty Betty. Boxing is the funnest workout ever – my new thing!

8: Nike Lunarglide+ 3 Shield Running Shoe, £115, from Nike

9: Fitness Barrel Bag, £28, from Puma

Jealous Print Studio pops up at Heal’s

Alexloves — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:49:01 +0000

For one week only print studio and gallery Jealous is taking over the windows of Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road. As part of their Artists in Residence initiative, a number of Jealous artists will be on site creating their artwork and prints live in store, giving you the opportunity to learn how printmaking works, and even snapping up a limited and signed edition whilst you’re at it.

Last night I got a little tour around the pop up, was introduced to some wonderful young artists and even got to try my hand at screenprinting one of the bunny prints (and got it signed by the artist to take home!). It’s great fun for all ages, and wonderful to see the artists in action. I particularly loved the works of Jayoon Choi, who draws the most wonderful little “people” she sees around her. Jayoon has also been given the great opportunity to draw on Heal’s windows every day – how fun would that be?!

Budding art collectors can snap up some of the limited editions by some of tomorrow’s big names at the end of the space, and there’s some really lovely and affordable pieces in there for you to take home.

Jealous Pop Up Studio at Heal’s Tottenham Court Road is open for one week only (well, half a week now!)
Opening hours:
Wednesday 1st Feb: 10 – 6
Thursday 2nd Feb: 10 – 8
Friday 3rd Feb: 10 – 6.30
Saturday 4th Feb: 9.30 – 6.30
Sunday 5th Feb: 12 – 6

Lookbook Love: Lu Flux SS12 “A-Lu-Ha”

Alexloves — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:27:23 +0000

Say hello to young British designer Lu Flux! I fell in love with the quirky lookbook of her latest S12 collection, so I thought I’d share it with you. It’s a little over the top and colourful and bright and cheerful and everything you want from a summer collection and if you look beyond the cotton candy hair, you’ll find some wonderful wearable pieces that I definitely need in my wardrobe.

Lu looked for inspiration in Hawaii for her SS12 collection, with Tiki masks, grass skirts and plenty of flowers getting a British update. I love the raincoats for those inevitably wet summer days…

Lu Flux is a great young British label to keep an eye out for, the past collections have gone from strength to strength and I can’t wait to see more in the future! There’s more images of the collection on the website!

www.luflux.com

Corrie Nielsen gets her own ice cream flavour!

Alexloves — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:02:36 +0000

Corrie Nielsen, an Alex Loves favourite, is getting her own ice cream flavour for London Fashion Week at luxury gelateria Scoop.

To coincide with London Fashion Week and the opening of Scoop’s new South Kensington shop, they invited Fashion Fringe winner Corrie Nielsen to create her ultimate flavour (dream come true, or what?!). The Corrie Nielsen will be an extra dark chocolate with a hint of orange blossom from Paris.

Of the – slightly odd – collaboration, Corrie said: “I can’t believe I’m getting an ice cream named after me and that I got to help design the flavour. I’m beyond honoured and I hope people love it! This is definitely going to be one of the most memorable collaborations of my design career. Scoop has been wonderful, and they truly are the most luxurious of gelatos, hands down.”

What’s even better, all first and second row guests at her catwalk show on Feb 17th will get a voucher for a free scoop of Corrie in one of the 3 shops (available from Feb 17-22).

Hurrah! I’m so there!

Corrie in a deep discussion about ice cream flavours… or maybe not.

My Week in Twitpics (16-29 Jan)

Alexloves — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:35:34 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so here’s a double bill! Above is a little snap from Cirque du Soleil’s Totem at the Royal Albert Hall… more on that later this week!

Dinner and drinks with the lovely Ruby Browning, who showed me a little preview of the new collection!

A week full of drinks, work breakfasts, brunches and lunches… and you wonder why I needed a detox?
My very own Alex Loves Wipit!
Spotted these incredible “apartment blocks” near Smithfield Market. Don’t know anything about them, but they’re awesome.
Got to make my very own English Breakfast Easter Egg at the M&S Spring/Summer preview. The ones that will go in shops will look slightly more professional, I promise.
Caramel the friendly goat at Homefield Grange Retreat.

My 5 Day Detox at Homefield Grange Retreat

Alexloves — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:18:46 +0000

Last week, I spent 5 days in the glorious countryside of Northamptonshire for a 5-day detox at Homefield Grange Retreat. After the excesses of the past few weeks, I decided it would be a great opportunity to start the year afresh, and this detox was the perfect way to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, so I headed to the rural retreat with my mom.

Homefield Grange is a small, dedicated facility based in the village of Rushton, just 1 hour from Central London, where the owner Suzanne and her staff spend 51 weeks a year doing exactly this. The detox programme is a holistic approach, combining a strictly controlled diet, treatments and exercise. Now before you think I just spent the last week being pampered, let me tell you – it was hard. The detox consists of 3 ‘meals’ a day: a juice for breakfast and lunch, and a bowl of soup in the evening. That all adds up to about 500 calories a day, and every day would include a long Nordic walk in the fields in the morning, and a yoga session in the evening.

We had a small group – around 6 detoxers, with a few more coming later in the week for a shorter stay – which made the experience more personable and friendly. Although it was mostly women, there was also a guy, and it’s a friendly environment where you can just hang out together in the living room in front of the fire, or hang out in your room, watching one of the many DVD’s to choose from. At Homefield Grange, everything can, not should. You make it whatever you choose to make it.

I’d been told the second day would be the hardest, and indeed, by Tuesday, my body felt like it was just shutting down. I was exhausted, had horrendous caffeine-headaches, and quite frankly, I was starving! I spent most of the day asleep apart from my treatments (including a colonic… let’s not go into detail, but actually a very interesting experience).

On Wednesday I woke up like a new person. The detoxing process was well and truly happening, I felt good in my skin and even did a gruelling 1 hour session with a personal trainer. I also opted for the intolerance and live blood test, which revealed some interesting things as to why I’ve probably not be feeling as good as I could in recent months (intolerances to wheat, dairy and… champagne!!!) In the evening there were talks, educating us about our bodies and digestive system, giving us the skills to continue living healthy after the detox. The good news is that, after a while, the hunger just disappears…

In the end, I lost over 5 pounds in under 5 days and since getting back, another 1.5 pounds. I feel great and ready for a fresh start, which includes a whole new way of eating. It feels like someone has pressed my reset button! This initial weightloss is a great starting point and motivator, and I really hope I can continue to embrace some of the vital lessons I learned whilst staying there.

Homefield Grange offers a range of programmes – a 3-day, 5-day and 7-day juice detox, but you can also opt for healthy food if things get a bit too hard. The food and juices are 100% fresh and personally tailored to your needs – so if you just can’t stand the thought of drinking things like beetroot, celery or cucumber, they’ll make sure there’s an alternative for you. Although in theory you could be doing the juicing at home, I think getting away from temptation and sharing the experience with other people who are going through the same thing makes this gruelling process a little nicer. It’s a perfect opportunity to leave stress and work behind, mobile phones are not permitted in the communal areas (although there is wifi, thank god! This girl would have gone crazy otherwise… :)

Although 5 days was more than enough for me (don’t think I could handle 7 days!), I highly recommend it, even if you just go for the weekend, as it’s a great way to give your body a chance to recover from its daily stresses. I can definitely see myself going back – something lots of people seem to do, as a few of my fellow detoxers had been there several times. It’s a homely and welcoming place with a lovely professional and kind staff.
I hope that I can turn my stay there into a real long-term success. I’ve already bought my juicer…

www.homefieldgrangeretreat.co.uk

Lunch with a shot of “progreens”. Perhaps not my favourite kind of shot!
Homefield Grange in the distance… Every meal comes with a full explanation of what ingredients were used, and why.
My home for the week (a deluxe room with ensuite, other options are available too).
On one of our early morning Nordic walks.
Teddy the dog. A legend.

***Alex was a paying guest at Homefield Grange Retreat.***

Hermès Watches Go On Sale at Achica!

Alexloves — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:33:09 +0000

I’m verrry excited to share with you a little sneak preview of Achica.com’s incredible watch sale starting next week. I have written about Achica before on the blog, but if you don’t know them, Achica is a members-only home & lifestyle discount website, which does daily sales lasting for just 48 hours. Every so often they have amazing fashion sales, like the Chanel vintage jewellery one a few months back, and now they’re back with another winner.

I have always loved the Hermès wrap watches, as they’re such a timeless classic. They somehow seem to transcend age and trends – I know girls my age and I know women my mom’s age who have one of these and they all look supernice wearing them. If like me you don’t like wearing too much jewellery around the wrist, a wrap watch takes care of your watch or bracelet dilemma.

A selection of the Hermès watches goes on sale on Feb 4th at 7am (there’s a great purple strap one in there), with some for the boys as well (by Bremont and Technomarine), all at up to 50% off. Perfect Valentine’s Day gift if ever I saw one.